Frank Buckley
| image = File:The Gates 1x1 019.jpg | imagewidth = 225px | known aliases = None | category = | gender = | base of operations = The Gates, Washington | known relatives = Vanessa Buckley (current wife); Devon Buckley (ex-wife) | year of birth = 1956 (approx) Date approximated based upon the age of actor Brett Cullen | year of death = 2010 | first appearance = The Gates: Pilot | played by = Brett Cullen }} Frank Buckley is a supporting character featured in the ABC television series The Gates. Played by actor Brett Cullen, he was introduced in the pilot episode of the series. The character is presented as a wealthy tycoon and the man responsible for creating The Gates. Priding himself on the security and privacy that he allows for his tenants, he also makes sure that he is constantly aware of everything that goes on inside the community. Biography Frank Buckley was a successful land developer and the man responsible for building the private, security-conscious Washington community known as The Gates. Frank built The Gates with his business partner and mentor W.R. Harrison, though Harrison was largely unaware of the peculiar nature of many of its residents. As the neighborhood's first citizen, Buckley held a lot of influence over how things within The Gates were managed. He had significant pull with members of the town's city council. Always wanting to keep on top of everything taking place in the community, he allowed himself access to The Gates' surveillance cameras and kept a private collection of security DVDs, many of which showed certain residents of The Gates in controversial situations. Buckley kept his videos locked inside a vault behind a portrait in his bedroom as blackmail should he ever need to manipulate someone into doing something for him. When Harrison learned the truth about what was going on at The Gates, he wanted to shut the place down. Frank wouldn't allow his dream to come crashing down however and the two had a massive falling out. A short while later, Harrison died after falling down a flight of stairs at his home. His death was ruled an accident. ("Digging the Dirt") For many years, Frank Buckley was married to a woman named Devon. Frank began carrying on an affair however with a younger woman named Vanessa. Devon learned of the affair on the night of their 10th anniversary and divorced shortly thereafter. Devon used the money she received in the settlement to establish her holistic sundries shop, Devon Day Spa in The Gates. Frank and Vanessa continued to see one another and eventually married. Vanessa was a vampire and protecting her and people like her was what drew Frank to develop The Gates to begin with. ("Repercussions"; "Digging the Dirt") In 2010, the chief of police of The Gates, David Phelps, retired, allegedly moving to Mexico. In truth, the man was actually murdered by a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Buckley hired a former Chicago homicide detective named Nick Monohan to assume the role of the new police chief of The Gates. Although Frank projected the veneer of being a concerned and affable man, he had actually hoped that Nick would be the type of man that he could easily control. Buckley greatly valued the privacy of The Gates' residents and when Monohan's investigations threatened to uncover some of the town's secrets, Buckley was very quick to make sure everything was kept as quiet as possible. ("Pilot") Soon after, it was discovered that former police chief David Phelps had been murdered. Although the crime took place outside of The Gates, Nick Monohan wanted to pursue the investigation. Buckley agreed with this initiative and wholly supported him. ("What Lies Beneath") Frank Buckley hosted a special party at his house, officially welcoming Nick Monohan as the new police chief of The Gates. All of the neighborhood's most important residents were in attendance, including his ex-wife Devon. He caught Devon sneaking about his bedroom, but didn't discover that she was actually stealing a video disc containing embarrassing footage of herself and former police officer Chad Taylor. ("Repercussions") Frank later showed up at an art auction that was being held at the Devon Day Spa. Once again, Devon made a point to illustrate the sins of Frank's past, embarrassing him at great length in front of his wife. Later, Frank learned that Nick Monohan had considered leaving The Gates to take up a job in Miami. He invited Nick over to his house, but when he arrived, Nick revealed that he was aware of vampires living at The Gates. Frank told him that he caters to a very exclusive clientele and that the protection of their secrets was of the utmost importance to him. He let on that he knew about Nick's notion of moving to Florida and made a veiled threat to discourage the idea. Dylan Radcliff came over to the house and Frank showed them video footage of the night that Dylan killed a woman named Teresa Goodwin. In no uncertain words, Frank knew that he could get Nick and Dylan to do whatever he required of them. ("Jurisdiction") Nick and Dylan decided that they needed leverage against Buckley to keep him from blackmailing them. They began investigating his past and learned about his old partner W.R. Harrison. Nick was unconvinced that Harrison's death following his falling out with Buckley was a coincidence so he exhumed his remains and found evidence suggesting that the man had been murdered. Nick blatantly accused Buckley of killing Harrison. Frank took great exception to the accusation and told him that Harrison was like a father to him. To show that he was innocent in the matter, Frank gave Nick carte blanche authority to pursue the case however he saw fit. Frank eventually learned that it was the CFO of The Gates Trust, Lloyd Foster, who had murdered Harrison. Foster had been embezzling money from the property management firm and stood to lose a great deal had Harrison gone through with his threat to close The Gates. Frank confronted Foster in an empty office, but Lloyd shot Buckley in the shoulder. He was prepared to finish him off when Monohan stormed into the room and disarmed him. Despite their mistrust of one another, Buckley was very grateful to Nick for saving his life. ("Digging the Dirt") Notes & Trivia * The character of was created by Grant Scharbo and Richard Hatem. * Frank and Devon were divorced on May 11th, 2008. 05112008 is also the combination to Frank Buckley's safe vault. The Gates: Repercussions External Links * See also References ---- Category:2010 character deaths Category:Characters who are poisoned